Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Child Abuse Essay
If you were placed in a position were your life was put into danger would you risk escaping? This question was asked by Jaycee Dugard everyday during her eighteen year being held captive. In her memoir A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard explains to us why she didn’t try to run from her abductor Philip Garrido even though she was given so many chances to do so. In most situations it is very difficult for victims to escape their abusers control. In the past it was near impossible for victims of abduction to escape safely on their own. With the realization that â€Å"We have seen a significent increase in the number of thru the means of strangers, family or friends†(Amber Alert 1). It has been easier to help child abduction victims with systems like the Amber Alert system, yet it is still difficult for the victims to leave on their own. Abuse victims along with Dugard also struggle with gaining the strength to leave. Years after Dugard was rescued she says â€Å"You must find your voice and not be afraid to speak up†(Dugard 148). Something she regrets doing while being held captive. In the end the claim that victims of abuse should take more responsibility to escaoe their abusers control should be challenges because of the difficulty to escape their abusers control and to gain the strength to leave. Not only do child victims of abuse deal with the control of their abuser, but many adults deal with the same issue. Many women deal with the challenge of leaving their abusive partner, but fail because of the partner control and power they have over their victims. Many women find it difficult because they remain emotionally and economically dependent on their batterer (Domestic Violence 1). In most marital situations their is a cycle of abuse and the family’s life becomes a cycle of violence. â€Å"The man who was terrifying and intimidating turns into a remorseful, needy, and dependent man. The woman who was battered then will feel sorry for the man and recommit to him in a fantasized hope that the abuse won’t happen again. But the cycle of abuse will begin again, often becoming worse†(Domestic Violence 2). In order to escape this abuse the cycle must be broken. According to Blich, â€Å"Stranger kidnapping victimizes more females then males, occurs primarily at outdoor locations, victimizes both teenagers and school-age children, is associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims†(Blich 1). After being abducted children are usually brainwashed and manipulated, gaining the abductor even more control. This is what happened in Dugards situation. Philip Garrido, Dugards abductor, told her that he was hurting her so he wouldn’t have to hurt other little girls, thereby making Dugard feel that if she did try to leave it would be her fault for the pain he caused others (Dugard 158). In doing so Garrido gained complete control over Dugard. However strong you are most can agree that it is very difficult to leave somebody you are dependent on, yet it is necessary if you want t o go on happily. Therefore the claim that abuse victims should take more responsibility to escape their control is difficult for anyone. Many will argue that people who are abused should take more responsibility to to escape from their abuser. In some situations outsiders will argue that we should outsmart our abuser and learn from it making us stronger to leave. According to The Washington Post, â€Å"They escaped these things not through the efforts of good samaritans, but through recognizing a bad situation and either getting away from it, avoiding it or screaming and kicking to draw attention†(St. George 1). This proves that children are capable not responsible. Another argument is that the child who is being abducted should be able to help themselves and escape the situation. â€Å"The child should do whatever is necessary to stay out of the car, because once the child is in that car, it dramatically reduces the chances of escape†(St. George 2). This is a lot of responsibility put onto a young child. How do we expect an eight year-old girl to escape a potential abuser if many forty year-old women cant leave an abuser they have been with for years. During Dugard’s eighteen year abduction several visuals were taken to show the pain of her loved ones. It can be proven that many were concerned with her abduction. In the visual â€Å"Missing†published in The Telegraph (2009). We are shown both Dugards mother, Terry Probyn, and step-father, Carl Probyn, they look heartbroken and distressed. Some would argue that with how much Jaycee Dugard knew she was loved, she should of gained enough strength and motivation to escape and go back to living her everyday life. However she was unaware of this while being held captive. The argument that in domestic abuse options are available to leave or available to encourage victims to leave is true, yet difficult. Victims have the option of professional help and gaining awareness of the situation. With the cycle of abuse it is very hard to get to the point were you understand you need the help, then there is the struggle of actually going ahead and doing it. Regardless of the several arguments that people can challenge we have proof from specific situations like Dugard’s along with more common issue like marital dispute that without finding overall strength and gaining the courage to escape the abuser control it is impossible to escape and go back to your normal life. Gaining strength is one of the most difficult things to do in life. One way we gain strength is having support and happiness. How do we gain strength if we don’t have either? This faces millions of people daily who are in abusive relationships. They simply cant find the strength to leave. In Dugards memoir she says although she is unhappy she is too afraid of the risk of leaving and doesn’t know how she wo uld be able to take care of herself and her two daughters. â€Å"One of the reasons I stayed was I wanted my kids to be safe. The outside was scary for me. I was so afraid that if i left or tried to leave and take them both with me I wouldn’t be able to protect them†(Dugard 276). Even her knowing the fact that if she were to escape successfully her daughters could have a much better life, yet if they weren’t successful they would have to continue living in hiding in the backyard of Garrido’s home. She didn’t have enough strength to take the risk although the successful end results were so much better then her current situation. In abuse situations victims struggle with the same issue of strength. In between the cycle of abuse there is only a small gap between the man being violent and the women feeling remorseful and forgiving him. Where gaining the strength in between that small gap is difficult especially when it would need to be regained the next time the abuse restarts. Women also have other options. Most women have a supportive family or homes they can go to keep safe. But strength is key and difficult to obtain when one is constantly bringing you down. Although more options are available to leave, like hot-line cards in bathrooms for abuse victims or Dugard being taken into public with the option to run, we need strength to take them. Strength is a necessity to leave making the claim that abuse victims are responsible for leaving their abuser difficult to prove. In conclusion finding the courage to leave an abuser is an unthinkable challenge to those placed in that position. Without finding the strength and escaping the overwhelming control of the abuser its near impossible. As time goes on there becomes more options for abuse to happen or lead to abuse. â€Å"One in five children ten to seventeen receive unwanted sexual solicitations online†(Blich 1), which can lead to a more serious abuse. No matter how different the situations are the abuse victims suffer through they can relate back to the same struggles. According to Jayvee Dugard after her long term abuse she refers to life today as â€Å"A light that I thought had been extinguished was coming back to life†(Dugard 238). While in the position of abuse its difficult to find the strength, but it can be gained again. The difficulty of escaping the abuser will also be difficult. It will remain difficult while recovering from the abuse. The claim that people should take more responsibility to escape their abusers? False.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Evaluating the Results of School Administration and Supervision
Educ. 207 Evaluating the Results of School Administration and Supervision Organizational evaluation or assessment measures compare and analyze the coherence between results and specific objectives, and between specific objectives and general objectives of institutional projects, programs or plans. Evaluation is an important aspect of improving the administration in any organization. It plays a very important role in helping the managers to improve the efficiency and effectiveness in their operations.It can act as an instrument to create confidence and generate support of the people for research programs, and put forth their activities in a transparent and effective way to its shareholders. Depending upon the time of evaluation, it can either be Ex-ante evaluation or Ex-post evaluation. When the evaluation has been conducted before or during the implementation of a task, it is known as Ex-ante evaluation. Ex-post evaluation is carried out after a task is completed. Evaluation in an or ganization can be carried out in an integrated form or with respect to certain departments.When it is carried out for the entire organization, the result is apprised with goals and objectives and the quality of the result is calibrated with predetermined standards. When it is carried out separately for each department, it is necessary to determine the importance of the task performed and role played in the result by the respective department. Coordination between different departments is always an important aspect of any evaluation process. Communication within the workplace should generally be followed with proper protocols, but it should be from top to bottom and vice versa.Horizontal communication should also be promoted in an effective manner. The three vital elements in an evaluation process are the organization, the assessment team and the employees who use the assessment results. To effectively carry out the evaluation process, the assessment team must be aware of power hiera rchies, decision-making policies, organizational culture and other internal and external intricacies. Organizations should provide formal coaching to an assessment team before carrying out any evaluation.Employee assessment plays a vital role in building a good rapport and cordial relations between the management and the employees. Employee evaluation should be carried out in a friendly atmosphere with minimum formalities. They should be given an opportunity to speak out openly. Interviews can be conducted in an informal and unstructured manner to gauge the employee satisfaction level. People like recognition for the work they do and mostly wish to talk about it. They like to share their problems, conflicts, perceptions and achievements. Educ. 07 Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers An ideal teacher is the one we respect from our heart. He/she acts as a guide to the students, while not pushing them too much. Such a perfect motivates them and boosts their morale. He/she tries to encourage the students and refrains from criticizing them. The perfect teacher prefers to give positive motivation to his/her students. His/her comments are always constructive in nature. He/she serves as our friend, guide, educator, confidante, and a blend of all the good qualities one can posses.Such a teacher shapes the entire life of the students. If everyone in this world gets an ideal teacher, he/she won’t have to look back in his/her life ever. Considering the fact that students spend a great part of their life at school, one may come to conclusion that schools contribute significantly into overall ‘quality' of students' lives. No wonder that personality of a teacher is of crucial importance; moreover, some teachers turn into extremely important people for the whole life due to the impact they make while teaching us.It is good if this impact is positive and brings motivation for students, however, it sometimes happens that teachers manage to spoil not only mood o f a student but intrude into internal world, leaving unpleasant vestige there. That is why the statement that, â€Å"What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches†, expressed by Karl Menninger is really truthful. Question of teacher's ethics has been on the agenda since teachers appeared and it is still important to talk about that.Teachers are the people, who should serve for students not only as examples of high education but of decent behavior as well. That is why each violation of teacher's ethics may cause some really serious consequences and turn into crucial mistakes. For example, ignoring some student may lead to personal complexes because a young personality will feel depressed and underestimated. Of course, much depends on child's family, surrounding, but as it was stated from the very beginning school is the place where children spend a great part of their time and that's why they are growing as personalities at school.It is vital that they grew in a healthy atmosphere, surrounded by professional teachers that would be able to not only give knowledge but give lessons of ethics too. Educ. 207 BASIC EDUCATION SECTOR REFORM AGENDA ( BESRA ) The Department of Education is pursuing a package of policy reforms called the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) to build upon the efforts of the School First Initiative (SFI) and to create a basic education sector that is capable of achieving the Education for All (EFA) objectives by 2015.STRIVE focuses on systems development, particularly at the regional level. The support systems which are being developed will address the need for effective continuous use of promising project initiatives mainstreamed in DepED as well as ensure quality improvement processes within the education system itself. STRIVE focuses on developing systems for BESRA regional implementation anchored to the national policy and frameworks. It is one of the strategic avenues to support the successful implementatio n of BESRA.The implementation of the BESRA was seen as a welcome move by many, both in the private and public sector. Several landmark initiatives by the DepEd have been based on the BESRA, such as the institutionalization of multilingual education, the Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP), and the Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP). However, years after its first implementation, many of the proposed reforms have not been fully implemented.As NicetoPoblador said in the column â€Å"Beyond reform, beyond transformation,†published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last 25 January 2009, the primary hindrance to any true reform in the education sector was the resistance of â€Å"entrenched elements in the bureaucracy and by elements outside the system whose interests firmly lie on the status quo. †Poblador also paraphrases Cynthia Bautista, a sociologist at the University of the Philippines, saying that most of the reform proposals that h ave been put forward (including the BESRA, which was founded on the research of external parties) have been â€Å"externally generated. Because the proposal was â€Å"externally generated,†bureaucrats have the final say in the implementation of these reforms. Educ. 207 PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS OF DEPED Academics is not the be-all and end-all of education. At DepED, we recognize that pure classroom instruction cannot fully satisfy the growing need to provide pupils and students with opportunities for practical learning and proper channelling of potentials and interests.Because we believe in the importance of exposing and preparing young people to face the realities of life, we implement various programs and projects – all of which, hopefully, will help pupils and students become more well-rounded individuals and citizens of our country. A. STUDENT TECHNOLOGISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS OF THE PHILIPPINES (STEP)                Establi shment of STEP Organizations                Technical Conference and Training/Workshop                Skills Development and Competitions                AwardsAnnual Evaluation and Planning Conference and Workshop           B. STUDENT GOVERNMENT PROGRAM (SGP) Synchronized Supreme Pupil/Student Government Elections                Supreme Student Governments Division, Regional and National Federations                National Leadership Training for Student Government Officers                Awards Youth Leadership Awards – Celebrity Edition Peer Counseling Program Training/Workshop                 National Federation of Supr eme Student Governments Conference                 Annual Evaluation and Planning Conference and Workshop           C.YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND COOPERATIVISM IN SCHOOLS (YECS)                Establishment of YECS Organizations                Training and Conference (Teen Negosyo)                Awards Moderators’ Training Annual Evaluation and Planning Conference and Workshop          D. YOUTH FOR ENVIRONMENT IN SCHOOLS (YES)                Establishment of YES Organizations                Youth for Environment Summer Camp                Massive-Intensive-Sustained Tree-Planting, Tree-Growing and Tree- Caring                Annual Evaluation and Planning Conference for Tree-Planting Program
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay
 Tragedy followed them: of their four children, only one lived very long. Then in 1822, aged just thirty, Mary’s husband drowned when on a cruise with her husband, his ship having capsized due to a summer storm. Mary’s life was effectively over: even though she lived for another thirty years, her flame never again burned as brightly as it had done in the company of her husband. She pursued to live as a professional writer until her death in 1851. Mary was constantly tormented in life by death and depression, which may have led her to write ‘Frankenstein’. Frankenstein is a book about man’s thirst for knowledge, about the way he is not satisfied unless he knows all the wonders of the world. In many cases, this can lead to the destruction of a man’s soul, as it did to Victor Frankenstein. His quest to learn the secrets of heaven and earth ended in disaster. The monster was the embodiment of evil, bringing death and destruction wherever it laid foot. It brought death to Frankenstein’s family, in a pure quest for revenge. Symbolic of most evil, the monster was manmade. In many ways Mary Shelley’s life can be compared to that of Victor Frankenstein’s. Mary must have felt that wherever she went, evil followed, as those closest to her were snatched away. She portrayed this in Frankenstein as Victor’s family was destroyed by the monster, symbolic of the evil she felt followed her. Mary’s marriage is also represented in Frankenstein. Mary’s marriage to Percy Shelley was the happiest time of her life before he was killed. In the same way, Victor’s marriage to Elizabeth was the only joy he had felt in a long time, when just as suddenly she was murdered by the monster, again symbolising the evil that Mary felt killed her husband. Mary also describes very vividly the pain that Victor felt, leading us to believe that she must have felt the same pain and agony. She reveals this in many situations such as the quotes, ‘the overflowing misery I now felt, and the excess of agitation that I endured rendered me incapable of any exertion’ and, ‘a fiend had snatched from me every chance of future happiness; no creature had ever been so miserable as I was’. The ending of the story was that the death of Victor Frankenstein led the monster to believe that his work was done, and so the monster burned himself to death. The creation had ironically led to the death of the creator. Mary believed that in the event of a man’s demise, the evil inside him dies as well. Frankenstein contains a sad ending, with the destruction of a whole family due to a man’s insatiable quest for knowledge. Mary’s life also consisted of a sad ending, in which she was never as happy as she was when with her husband. She died a lonely death, without her loved ones surrounding her, the same fate shared by Victor Frankenstein. The monster in Frankenstein can be compared to the beast in Lord of the Flies. There are both similarities and differences. In both novels, the idea of a monster/beast represents the pure manifestation of evil. Mutually they lead to the destruction and death of those around them. They are equally spawned from the mind and hands of humans. They both originally spring from the minds of humans. To explain, in Lord of the Flies is the imagination of the boys representing evil, and in Frankenstein it is Victor’s wild imagination and thirst for intellect that leads to the creation of the monster. However, this can also be viewed as a particular dissimilarity. In Frankenstein, the monster is bodily real and physically inflicts harm on Victor’s family. However in Lord of the Flies the beast is just as deadly and evil, but is inside the children’s minds. William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911. His family was progressive and it was the first source of influence for Golding’s talent. He studied physics and English literature at Marlboro and Oxford University of England. From the first years of his life, he faced the atrocities of war. Fuelled with stories his parents related to him about the first war, he took part in the second great war by joining the British Navy at 1940. After the war, William became a teacher at a boys school in Salisbury. Here, he started to act as a writer. He observed many children in their natural environment, and must have witnessed the negative side of a child’s nature countless number of times. This led him to write Lord Of The Flies which was his first published book. William Golding lived through the two biggest wars in history. During his time in the Navy, he had a constant reminder of the evil and brutality in the hearts of men. He saw countless lives lost around him, some belonging to his friends. It had been revealed to him that the pure evil inside a man can start world wars. This, along with his teaching experiences, was his incentive to write Lord Of The Flies. After surviving the war, he saw during his teaching that children were not bereft of evil either. Combining these two topics he wrote Lord Of The Flies, the conflict between humanity’s innate barbarism and the civilizing influence of reason. In the book, he portrays Jack as the embodiment of evil. It is Jack’s thirst for power that causes the breakdown of civilisation. In this way, Jack can be compared to Hitler. Jack did not want to stop murdering until the whole of Ralph’s group were killed. In the same way, Hitler did not want to stop until the world was rid of Jews. Jack’s tribe wore face paint whereas Hitler and the Nazis wore the sign of the Swastika on their arms. Jack is aided in his quest of destruction by Roger, who can be compared to the Nazis. Roger also represents pure evil and wrongness, moreso even than Jack. He derived sadistic pleasure from torturing pigs and the other boys on the island. Similarly, the Nazis tortured the Jews from which they obtained a sick sense of fulfilment. Roger is one of Jack’s most loyal helpers, and gladly carries out his orders, in the same manner the Nazis obeyed Hitler. The ending of the novel can be interpreted in two different ways. The first would be to interpret that William Golding does actually have a positive outlook on life and believes that the end of life will be a happy one. This can be portrayed as the naval officer who has come to end the evil and escape the boys from the clutches of death, and thus the arrival of authority seems like a happy and ironic ending. However if one digs deeper it is just a continuation from one war to another. Once all the boys get on the Navy cruiser, they’ll most likely just be subjected to more battle and fighting, this time on a worldwide level, due to the war taking place in the outside world. To conclude, the common theme in both novels was the evil in man. Both authors had their own experiences that led them to believe that evil resides amongst all of us. They both took their experiences and portrayed them in novels filled with symbolism. Mary Shelley believed that evil is constantly around us, and that no-one can escape. She believed that man has an evil inside of him so powerful that it can lead to the destruction of his own soul. William Golding’s understanding was that every man is born with evil inside him. He didn’t believe in man’s innocence after the second world war. He found that even children are not innocent, saying, ‘No one is innocent until the society and the way of his life make him to pretend that he’s innocent. But sometimes, when a man is facing a difficult situation then he will probably show his other nature, the dark and guilty nature. ‘ Shyam Kanabar Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Pentateuch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Pentateuch - Essay Example â€Å"For most of the first eighteen centuries of the Christian era, Pentateuch authorship was considered pretty much settled matter. Most people accepted the view that the Pentateuch was composed by Moses, the great law giver and deliverer of Israel from Egyptian bondage.†(King, 2001)Later intellectuals intervened and did the obvious. Outside the faith based conservative seminaries and churches, the scholars held the view that Moses was not the author of the books and they are compilations of works of many writers over an extended period of time. Jean Astruc (1684-1766) was a renowned Professor of medicine at Montpellier and Paris. Apart from his treatise on medicine, he wrote a book that was published anonymously relating to a critical textual analysis of works to scripture. He discussed the fundamental part in the origins. According to him, the Genesis was composed by using many sources and manuscript traditions. This approach is known as The Documentary Hypothesis. Most of the universities teach in the religious studies that Pentateuch is a composite work relating to four literary strands. These strands are identified by letters, J, E, D and P. Each syllable represents a document or the source that has been incorporated in to the Bible. Documentary theory and the Graf-Wellhausen theory, support this approach. According to this view, the letter "J" stands for the Yahwist ("J" from the German Jahweh) narrative, coming from the period of the early Jewish monarchy, about 950 B.C. "E" stands for the Elohist narrative from the region of the Northern Kingdom dating from about 750 B.C. "D" is best represented by the book of Deuteronomy and is said to have originated in the Southern Kingdom about 650 B.C. or later. And finally, "P" is the priestly document that comes from the period after the fall of Israel in 587 B.C. The composition of Pentateuch reached its consolidated form by about 400 B. C. Some
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Supreme Court case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Supreme Court case - Essay Example The judges vote on the ruling was 7 to 2 with majority choosing to have abortion legalized basing it on the right to privacy, which is spelt under the clause of due process in the 14th amendment. In the written ruling by Justice Harry Blackmun, he justified the legalization of abortion because of the fact that illegalization infringed upon women’s right to privacy and the ruling subsequently, overruled all other state antiabortion statutes. According to Alcorn, the ruling issued in this case permitted the state to intervene during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy when there is an urgent need to protect the pregnant woman and/ or even the unborn child (28-31). However, it is important to note that the trimester consideration was struck out leaving the main fact about the ruling as that a pregnant woman had the right to abort until ‘viability.’ Murti stated that despite the numerous cases being filed to repeal this judgment, a ruling made 1992 in the cas e of Planned Parenthood versus Casey reaffirmed the right to abortion that had been granted under the Roe versus Wade case, but it permitted further restrictions (33-36). ... The pro-life group refers to those who are against the ruling while the pro-choice refers to those who support the ruling citing the fact that a woman has the right to decide whether she would want to keep the pregnancy or not (45-56). Without including matters of the law or legal principles into the discussion, Murti stated that the greatest opposition to the ruling made by in the Roe versus Wade case has been based around religious and moral ideologies or views (88-89). The pro-life advocates have continually stated that the ruling given in the Roe versus Wade case goes against religious teachings in all the faiths where abortion has been openly condemned and classified as a sin against the Lord. With reference to religious teachings, Alcorn stated that the Bible has openly refuted the act of abortion since the Lord referred to children as a blessing and therefore, it would go against the Lord’s wishes if a pregnant woman terminates a pregnancy thereby failing to give the un born child the right to life (67-73). For example, Amos chapter 1 verse 13 states, â€Å"the help of the Lord is essential, for He has dominion over human life and its origin. Parents cooperate with God in bringing forth life. Because this whole process is under God’s dominion and therefore, it is sinful to interrupt it.†This versus was written with reference to the violent acts that were taking place in Gilead where attackers were ripping open expectant mothers, thus killing their unborn children. This verse by Amos clearly indicates that pregnancy is under the dominion of God and therefore, it is a sin before the Lord. Additionally, Biblical teachings repeatedly in several versus condemn the killing of the innocent while other versus refer to the
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Women in Law School Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Women in Law School - Research Paper Example Instead, women have to face many challenges in order to find success in an environment which one would consider to be extremely hostile to them. This is the reason why there is need for the continued use of affirmative action to support women who would like to get into this field, to ensure that women are not only successful in getting admitted in law schools, but also that they are treated as partners to their male counterparts rather than as subordinates. While in the United States, affirmative action has largely worked to bring women into the male dominated field of law, more still needs to be done to ensure that even more women are interested in it and that once they get there, they are able to get fair treatment. There has been, in recent years, support for women to get into the field of law, and most of this support has come from other women in the field. It has been suggested that the best way of encouraging more women to get into the field is through giving more women opportu nities to fill up available leadership roles in law schools. Such a move would ensure that the voice of women is heard in the field and further, it will provide them with the opportunity for further advancement. Furthermore, it has been stated that the best way to deal with the problems that women face in law school and after is to build awareness that bias against women in law is still immensely strong and that this matter should be addressed. Literature Review McGinley (99) in her article states that there is still quite a large gap in the gender divide in the faculties of law schools all over the country. Not only do the women who work in law schools have to do jobs which are considered to be feminine by their male counterparts, but they also have to teach courses which many would consider to have been female-identified courses. McGinley argues that the leadership positions in law schools have been unfairly distributed, with women getting the lesser share than men. She states tha t while there are almost no women in any of the available leadership positions in law schools, men dominate nearly all of these positions, with eighty percent of the deans being men. Furthermore, men have been found to teach courses which can be considered to be prestigious as well as male-identified; furthering the rift between the sexes in law schools. She states that women have to go through differential expectations from their colleagues as well as their students and often have to bear the brunt of their male counterparts' intimidating behaviour at work. McGinley, in this article makes use of manhood studies and other research that has been conducted in the social sciences to make an identification of the gendered structures, practices, and traits that have come to bring harm to women professors practising law. She sets out to provide a hypothetical context that attempts to make an explanation of the reasons why women do not enjoy status equality in the legal field do not compar ed to their male counterparts. While many of the practices, which are conducted towards women in law schools, appear to be gender-neutral, they end up accomplishing the very opposite, because it works to propagate stereotypes and isolation which has been found to be harmful to women. The article works to reveal the gendered nature of the structures and practices of law schools, especially in administration, and sets out to challenge the belief of natural difference as a cause for the disproportion between men and women law professors. The conclusion of the study conducted in this article is that it is only through exposing these gender biased practices
Friday, July 26, 2019
Applying Open Innovation Where Your Company Needs It Most Assignment
Applying Open Innovation Where Your Company Needs It Most - Assignment Example The article goes on to further mention that innovation processes may be further classified into three main states of idea generation, idea development and commercialization. The manner in which open innovation entails managing external partnership has been detailed by providing a broad framework which may help leaders in identifying the type of open innovation which best suits the company. The article discusses specific proactive measures which must be followed by leaders while taking the path to open innovation. The article further describes the external associations including the manner in which partnering, transactions, acquisition’s benefits and risks and venture partners have to be considered prior to finalizing a decision on an open innovation project. Finally the article briefly mentions about the benefits acquired by firms with successful open innovation. It does mention that the trepidation regarding the protection of the interests of the organization are highly valid and holds good. Despite this, open innovation has helped firms to garner path breaking success. CRITIQUE Applying open innovation where your company needs it most The article on open innovation has provided us valuable insight on the manner in which correct choices should be made by leaders for embarking on the daunting project of open innovation. It has detailed the three main stages of innovation, namely, idea generation, development of idea and commercialization. However, it has failed to mention the criticality of attitudes displayed by management and leadership which may lead to decline in performance despite adapting open innovation in business frameworks. Moreover the term open innovation has just been touched upon by mentioning its proponent. It does not mention the types of open innovation and the conditions required for them to exist. It directly jumps to examine the three steps of innovation. The article again touches on the fact that open innovation is not possible to i mplement in an environment governed by negative attitudes like â€Å"not sold here†or â€Å"not invented here†. However, it never describes the significance of positive attitudes in facilitating open innovation. For the management to implement open innovation in their organization, one of the prime prerequisite is to openly engage in successful communication of open innovative plans to the employees, formulate required incentives and create an organizational culture encouraging and supporting open innovation. This will help in facilitating this context by garnering the engagement and attention of employees thereby making open innovative strategies successful. The term open innovation needs to have its people to have an open mind which facilitates creative thinking without any bias whatsoever and accordingly invite external partners to use those innovative processes of a firm which lie unused. This not only helps in optimizing unused notions but also aids in excelling in products and business processes and a plethora of areas where innovative ideas may be adequately utilized. Open innovation is basically a process which helps outsiders to join a particular process to engage in making creative inventions and discoveries. This is usually true
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Managing Transsexual Transition in the Workplace Essay - 1
Managing Transsexual Transition in the Workplace - Essay Example f the human resource department who is broadly concerned with issues like recruiting, training, remuneration and firing of employees and who also have to keep in mind the local laws governing employment issues, such as health and safety laws, equal opportunity regulations, laws against discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race and religion, laws regarding minimum wage etc. Hampshire County Council (HCC) is one such example of an organization. It benefits 1.2 million people residing in the County while employing around a thirty thousand employees. The Human Resources is managed by the Employment Practice Centre in Winchester where the head office of the Council is also located. It is about providing community leadership. The 21st century, mainly because of the growing influence of media and globalization has seen a rise in a lot of employment issues. Moreover, organizations before never paid heed to employee’s concerns as their importance were not very much in the picture. It has only recently been realized that the issues like improving the motivation and communication between employees should be contemplated upon as it affects the success of the business. Many serious concerns have also been raised and one of them is the issue of managing transsexual transition in an organization. However, transsexual people, whose gender identity is different from assigned sex and who live, or wants to live, as a member of the other sex, form only a small percentage in the total population so it might be very rare for an organization to deal with their issues. In earlier days, when transsexual people were not protected by any law or regulation, they had to suffer from violence at the hands of other employees. Also, the management did not know how to deal with them, so they were usually fired and had to start from scratch. Even the hard-working, efficient and regular people were asked to leave just because they were going through a transsexual transition. Increased
Financial Health 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Financial Health 2 - Assignment Example ost of care payment is similar to the comprehensive care model in which payment for the full range of health care is given by a specified group for a decided period of time. (Cromwell, J., & Research Triangle Institute. 2011) The false claim act is a statute which provides people who are not with the government to file action can on behalf of the government. It is a federal law also known as â€Å"whistle blowing†that allows people who are not government-affiliated to file claims of fraud against the government. It has been used to investigate many health providers from pharmaceutical companies to health care organizations, hospital, practices, agencies and equipment providers. Through the use of this fraud, government has come across many fraud settlements over the years and has paid big payments who had sued on behalf of the government. This law applies in situations like double billing by providers, refusing to provide medically necessary care etc. A number of federal and state statutes are dealt by the Government in regard to the Medicare fraudulent. The government provides the prosecutor with many options related to health care. Following is a list of possible criminal prosecution: A False Claims act is a government statute under which, any health care provider who presents a false claim or demand regarding any medical services can be held guilty. The prosecutor needs to prove that the provider intentionally false claimed. A False Statement Act imposes liability on a provider if in a communication submitted to the government had false writings or documents. In such a violation the government only needs to prove that the provider knowingly submitted the statement or documents knowing they were false. Anti-kickback act concerns individuals and entities that knowingly make false statements in applying for payments provided by the government and states regarding health care. It also prohibits individuals concealing information of events that claim their
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Friere - Banking v. Problem Solving Models of Education Essay
Friere - Banking v. Problem Solving Models of Education - Essay Example The minds of students are considered to be empty in absolute ignorance, and it is the duty of the teacher to fill them with knowledge (Freire, 2004). The banking model immobilizes the people within existing frameworks of power since they accept that meaning and historical agency are owned by the oppressor. Therefore, education should be a means of liberation rather than solely a knowledge impacting process. The common sense of the poor people, which constitutes knowledge, is not less important than scientific knowledge of professionals. The education system requires reciprocal trust and communication between the educator and the student. This gives the educator a chance to learn and the student gets a chance to teach. This makes education a communion between participants in a mutually educating dialogue instead of the unilateral action that benefits the student only. The teacher should intervene in the educational situation as a way of helping the student overcome the paralyzing aspect of his or her world. This should result to critical thinking as a process of solving problems in the education process. This will be vital for reducing the oppression on the poor due to ineffective learning processes arising from the banking model of education (Freire, 2004). Freire proposed a dialogical problem posing education method where the teacher and student become co-invigilators of knowledge. The problem-posing education gives an opportunity to the oppressed to explore their problem as a reality to be transformed. This contrasts the banking model that suggests that the situation in the society can be fixed by nature or reason. The content of problem-posing education cannot be determined through the expertise of the teacher but arises from the reality experienced by the student. The educator does not answer the problems, but helps the students critically think of the problem in order to make a mutable awareness of the society. Once the students view the society
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Academic essay on Fatigue Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Academic on Fatigue - Essay Example The fatigue after cancer treatment is normal, but it is recommended that if it persists, then one should consult their physicians for assistance lest it develops into a more complex condition. This resulting fatigue can be a problem in itself, and as such, requires to be managed. To evaluate on the potential evaluations which can save the situation, this study text will analyse the case of one John, who is a patient recovering from cancer and is experiencing fatigue from the chemotherapy. He feels that his life has been limited by the fatigue and requests a mediation strategy to help him out of the situation. The study highlights the causal factors of fatigue, an intervention approach to curb his current fatigue, and finally an approach to prevent him from experiencing fatigue during the rest of his chemotherapy treatment. This study text is based on a cancer patient, John, who is a recuperating cancer patient. He has undergone surgery and included in his after-treatment is chemotherapy. He has undergone four chemotherapy sessions while in hospital but the fifth he receives from an outpatient clinic. The chemotherapy is having side effects on him, and especially fatigue which comes with cancer treatment. He complains of excessive tiredness, has reduced his working time, and still feels tired after resting for long hours. Additionally, he has maintained his pre-treatment diet, and says exercising at the gym is not necessary since he has been participating in some projects which keep him busy such as helping in local charities and looking after his grandchildren. He therefore requests information as to how he can deal with his current fatigue, and the extra fatigue expected as he continues with his chemotherapy Fatigue resulting from cancer and chemotherapy is similar to the common fatigue. It is simply lack of energy which adds up as tiredness and weakness. A person with fatigue feels that their normal
Monday, July 22, 2019
Cesar Guarin First Filipino Ultra-Marathoner Essay Example for Free
Cesar Guarin First Filipino Ultra-Marathoner Essay Will you gamble your own welfare for the sake of others? Cesar Guarin, a 56-year-old entrepreneur and the first Filipino, first Asian and fourth person in history to run around the world proved that with a strong determination and with a purpose to help, anyone can bring their dream into reality. Guarin is known as the â€Å"Father of the Philippines Ultramarathon†. He joined Global Run which considered as one-of-a-kind marathon and the toughest run ever that began 1983 and will end in 2016. He already finished the first four legs of his Global Run wherein he run 11,583 kilometers from 1983 to 2009. After his last run in US-Canada (2009), he will again venture in another run, 2,053 kms. in the Australia marathon, the fifth leg of his Global Run. After completing the Australia leg, he will run across- Middle East (2012), England-Norway (2012), Finlan-Moscow (2013), Egypt-Israel-Jordan (2013), Japan-Korea (2014), India-Myanmar (2014) and Thailan-Singapore (2014) to complete the marathon. Despite of different hindrances like injuries, Guarin continuously run and this time it’s for a mission. He started a fund raising projects called â€Å"Batang Pangarap†and â€Å"Global Run, Alay sa Pilipino†to help poverty alleviation in the Philippines, to reduce the number of children on the street by encouraging them to venture into sports, to campaign the tourism of the Philippines and to show his appreciation to the Filipino community abroad for helping the country (Philippines). Guarin as an Ultramarathoner showed to the world that Filipino is a one-of-a-kind race.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Mental Health Groups: Theories and Methods
Mental Health Groups: Theories and Methods Constance Ballew All over the world the issue of mental health is a rampantly growing problem. With budget cuts both statewide and federally since the 1980’s by President Ronald Reagan, our country has had to create more cost efficient ways to meet the needs of our mental health crisis. Because of these budget cuts the need for more mental health services has grown and our county has responded to the outcry from those with mental health issues. Tulare County has come up with a way to help meet these needs locally through the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which was voted for in November 2004 and became effective January 2005. From August 2009 to October 20011 MHSA has helped over 16,000 Tulare county residents with mental health issues. This is possible because of a 1% tax surcharge on those who make $1 million or more per year. Mental health groups in Tulare County treat a broad spectrum of problems. From Bipolar Disorder and depression to schizophrenia, there are support groups to help c lients deal with the difficulties associated with mental illness (HHSA, 2012). In California the rate mental illness vary from county to county. Over all the rate of those with mental health issues in California are 16.3% that equals to about 4 million Californians. This percentage is a scarce comparison to that of all Americans who need mental health services. These figures which are 20-28% are alarming. Mental health affects everyone, even those who don’t have mental illness are affected by the mental health crisis in our county and country. Mental illness does not choose its victims by color, race, gender or age. Mental illness also does not prefer certain social or economic status. (Lund, 2001) Before 1956 many patients were not open to the idea of group therapy, almost two thirds of the patients in fact. And of those who entered group therapy 15% dropped out within the first 5 weeks of therapy. It is also shown in the study done by DeSchill that patients who had already received individual counseling did not increase their likely hood of staying in group counseling over those who had not. (DeSchill, 2014) The creation of mental health groups came from the need for more patients to be seen at a more economic and less time consuming. This is due to the introduction of Managed care into the mental health care system. Managed care has brought some limitations into treatment of mental illness as well as other groups. These are that managed care will pay for a certain amount of group sessions. There is a price cap on some of the sessions and therapist are often limited to the quantity and quality of care they provide group members. The Goal of mental health groups is to help people cope with the disabilities they face in life. It is this such support that helps many people around the U.S. live their lives in more fruitful ways than they would if they did not had the support of the mental health support groups. Mental health support groups provide an end to isolation. The isolation that people suffer who have mental health issues is debilitating and leads to early death rates for the mentally ill. According to Marla Szalavitz, in a study done by researchers at University College London, 6,500 people over the age of 52 where studied. The most isolated of those had a 26% higher chance of earlier death than those who were not isolated. Mental health groups have a valuable role in the part of treating those with mental illness, not just mentally but also physically (Szalavitz, 2013). The group members would be screened prior to entering the group. This is to ensure safety within the group and also to allow the maximum effectiveness for the group. The screening process would be done by a physician who would then refer the member to our group. This would help the therapist to focus on the members in the group who are able to do work and participate in their own change process. The roles of the members in a group are important to study. Each member role help to establish a flow for the dynamic and solidifies norms. The challenges of the leaders in a mental health group can be somewhat different from a leader in other groups. This is because the dynamic could change more often than that of other groups due to the challenges that face those with mental illness. The treatment models used to treat mental illness in group therapy according to Sara Battista, groups can be psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and psychosocial. The purpose and goal of a mental health group is dependent on the type of model used. In psychosocial groups, the goal is to sustain a balance of norms in the clients life, change if it happens is slow and not expected with the psychosocial model of treatment. In a Cognitive behavioral model led group, the leader is an example for the group. The group is made of people with the same sorts of issues who seek the same goal. Psychodynamic groups focus on the role each member has had in their families or in society and now have in the group. (Battista, 2013) In addition to the generalization of the treatments used to treat mental health issues, there are more in depth tools used in groups for the treatment of mental illness. Depression for people who have a mild or moderate level has been treated with cognitive behavioral along with interpersonal psychotherapies. While patients who have a disorder such as schizophrenia have been shown to benefit from cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. (Lehman et al, 2004) Psychoanalytic groups or psychodynamic groups settings usually have anywhere from 5 to 10 people. In this type of setting there is a gender heterogeneity and the ages are usually within the same developmental stages. This is also a group which is cost effective and would benefit the members in financial hardship. The meetings are generally and 1  ½ long or longer depending on the group. This type of group would meet a couple of two to three time per a week. This model is used because of its effectiveness to deal with group issues such as resistance and transference. Because of the heterogeneity in the group, members are able to work out other emotional reactions they might have opposed to that of a homogeneous group. Group members use their interactions with each other to help them work out problems in their lives. There is a sense of self-awareness that is gained by this type of therapy in group and the individual is able to do work more efficiently than on his own (DeSchill, 1974 ). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy used in group sessions is cost and time efficient. This type of therapy helps the group members to focus on life issues such as relationships, matters of their health and are aims to help correct dysfunctional issues with the clients. The goals for this type of group would be to help the group members realize that they can have more choices than the ones that have had in the past. Also to replace faulty behavior with healthy emotions and behaviors. This group would be a smaller group of about 5-10 people and also heterogeneous. This group would most likely meet about twice a week for about 2 hours to help promote the necessary change needed in the group (Cowdry, 2012). Psychosocial group settings are settings in which the group members talk out their problems, this is an effective type of treatment for people who have various type of mental health disorders. The setting would also be gender heterogeneous and include different ethnic backgrounds. The cultural differences in the group may prove to be an issue of resistance but if the therapist is trained with a multicultural background it can be a learning experience for the rest of the group. This group much like the two previous types of groups I have mentioned would be smaller groups and would meet more frequently to help the process of change. (Cowdry, 2012) The group duration is ongoing for those with more serious mental health issues and can be more time limited for those with anxiety or depression issues. Since the goals for the groups are different. The duration would also be different. Meaning that people with schizophrenia will need a group with a longer duration, maybe 2 years while someone suffering from anxiety and depression may only need 16-18. This is because for those with serious issues the goals are more about maintaining their lives and with anxiety or depression it is to help produce change. The goals of each group would be depending on the degree of mental health issues in which the members have. For instance, the goals for group members who are more seriously mentally ill would more tailored to adapting or maintaining mental and physical health and not towards a cure or getting better. While the goals for groups that are for depression and anxiety are focused on cognitive and the behavioral changes for members. It is also focused on helping the group members see more positive ways to manage stress and coping skills to manage negative thoughts. (Corey et al, 2014). Group rules for mental health members should be clear and easy to understand. They should set limits on behaviors and encourage the members to share. Rules should also help to ensure safety and confidentiality within the group. Rules would be as follows; please allow people to finish sharing before speaking. Respect others thoughts and feelings. Please keep what has been shared in group inside group. Please share any thoughts or concerns you may have in group. The tools that can be used in the forming stage of the group can be activities used to create safety and trust. This would be for the first few sessions of the group. The next few sessions would be activities to confront resistance in the group so that the members can get through to the second stage of tuckmans model which is storming. Then a few team building exercises to help the group cohesion and encourage the norming stage. The next few sessions would be based on tools to increase performing within the members and the final stage and for the last few weeks group members and therapist would be focused on the ending of the group-termination. This final stage would be to help the member talk about any issues that they feel haven’t been addressed and also deal with the closing of the group. These last sessions will also be used to go over what has been learned by the group members, what they will do after group and help them with crisis plans. There are some ways in which a group can be evaluated to see if it has been an effective form of treatment. One way is to ask the clients to complete a pre group and post group questionnaire. This would ask questions asking the group member to rate their feelings toward themselves, their mental illness, their current abilities to function inside and outside of the group and also would ask them how willing they are to join the group. The post group questionnaire would also ask the client to rate their feelings based on how they felt after receiving the treatment in group. Another way to evaluate the effectiveness of the group would be to ask the group members to share with each other how they feel in group during the first few sessions about the effectiveness. This would be charted. The therapist can also ask members to come to a meeting after termination of the group in which they are asked their thoughts and feelings again about their time in the group. This would also be charted. T he comparisons used in the feeling checks before and after group can help the group leader determine the effectiveness of the group. A therapist can also evaluate the effectiveness of the group by research. The therapist can study how many people need more help, how many terminate early and for what reasons and also what changes need to be made to enhance the effectiveness (Corey et al, 2014). In doing this research, I found that mental health groups are a vital part of treating those with mental health issues. At times people feel alone, with group such as mental health treatment groups, members don’t have to feel alone and can relate to each other. References Battista, S. (2013) New Trends in Mental Health Treatment, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Retrieved From http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Top_Storytemplate=/contentmanagement/contentdisplay.cfmContentID=158934 Corey et al, (2014) Theories and Techniques of Group Counseling, Groups Process and Practice, Ninth Edition, Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning Cowdry, R (2012) Treatments and Services, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Retrieved From http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Treatments_and_SupportsTemplate=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfmContentID=10510 DeSchill, S (1974) Introduction to Psychoanalytic Group Psychotherapy Part 1, The Challenge for Group Psychotherapy, Retrieved From http://americanmentalhealthfoundation.org/books/introduction-to-psychoanalytic-group-psychotherapy-part-1/ Health and Human Services Agency (2012) Tulare County Mental Health Services Act, Five Year Report, HHSA, Retrieved From http://hhsawebdocs.tchhsa.org/questys.cmx.hhsawebdocs/File.ashx?id=2819v=1x=pdf Lehman et al. (2004) Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatments and Services: Examples to Inform Public Policy, Millbank Memorial Fund Retrieved From http://www.milbank.org/uploads/documents/2004lehman/2004lehman.html Lund, L. E. (2001) Mental Health Care in California Counties: Perceived Need and Barriers to Access, Center for Health Statistics, Retrieved From http://www.cdph.ca.gov/pubsforms/Pubs/OHIRmentalhealthCareCA2001.pdf Szalavitz, M. (2013) Social Isolation, Not just feeling Lonely May Shorten Lives, Time, Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/26/social-isolation-not-just-feeling-lonely-may-shorten-lives/
Analysis Starbucks Operational Financial Organisational Marketing Capabilities Marketing Essay
Analysis Starbucks Operational Financial Organisational Marketing Capabilities Marketing Essay The organisation chosen for the task is Starbucks Corp. and the report would compare it with two similar companies, one being Costa Coffee and the other being Caffà © Nero. The report would highlight the frameworks underpinning the competitive position of Starbucks and also would identify and asses the economic and the competitive position of the firm. A financial model using appropriate ratio analysis would also be presented in a spreadsheet format identifying the industry trends and their impact on the performance of Starbucks vis-à -vis Costa Coffee and Caffà © Nero. Both quantitative and qualitative data would be made available so as to provide an insight into Starbucks sustainable performance and prospects. Analysis of Starbucks operational, financial, organisational and marketing capabilities would be made available through application of PESTEL analysis and Porters 5 forces model. The report would also discuss the issues, the problems, the opportunities and the options available to Starbucks for future business growth, followed by conclusions to draw together all the variables identified. Recommendations would be provided for the company highlighting the direction it needs to take to ensure business profitability with comments on the suitability, acceptability and the feasibility of the options made available. INTRODUCTION The Starbucks Company was founded in Seattle in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Seigel with a vision to educate American consumers about the fine coffee drinking experience. In 1987 Howard Schultz took over the Starbucks Group, he wanted to create the Italian espresso bar experience in the States by creating a personal relationship between the customers and their coffee. In 1995, the company really took off with the opening of its 676th store, and the expansion strategy to Hawaii, Singapore and Japan being very successful. By 2000, 3,300 stores were already in operation and Starbucks had ventured into markets ranging from England to Australia. As standing, Starbucks is number one in the industry, with more than 12,000 shops in more than 35 countries. Just within a couple of years they grew from a small coffee business house to a multi-million dollar player in the speciality coffee industry by buying only the best coffee available and providing the people with an unmatched store experience. The Starbucks mission statement is To inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. Freshly brewed coffee is the main product offered by Starbucks along with other drinks which include cold and hot teas, cakes and pastries. The Starbucks coffee comes in a many varieties each possessing a different taste, aroma and flavour. INDUSTRY TRENDS AND MARKET ANALYSIS The market right now for gourmet coffee business is hot. All the multi-national fast food chains and street-corner shops want in on the boom. Many big companies are focusing on the supply of specialty branded coffees and the scenario is heating up. Specialty coffee is one of the fastest growing food services markets globally. Growth in the coffee industry is continuously peaking, with many new overseas companies entering the market using policies like special discounts and perks despite the questionable quality of the coffee being used to increase the market share. A notable trend seen is that often a significant increase in sales occurs every time a cafà © starts to use branded consumables. The consensus is that these coffee drinks would be a long-term trend, with focus on elevating the customers taste for a product that they are already familiar with and then leading them to coffee houses to get it. Many companies are also tinkering with expanding the food menus as well including an in-store display of fresh baked goods, sandwiches and various confectionary items. The newest trend is the drive-thru coffee stores. Starbucks has many such stores, all of which are seeing continual growth and long lines. Another trend includes customer requests for organic coffees, which has encouraged retailers to move towards the beans growing environment. The array of products offered has never been as wide, as retailers are adding more flavours to whole beans and creating variations to the basics of espresso and steamed milk. The clever retailers have added iced tea concoctions and coffee shakes to their menus to outdo competitors. Most specialty retailers now also retail whole beans and many such stores have added coffee grinders, espresso machines and other brewing supplies for add on sales. STARBUCKS ANALYSIS This part of the report would analyse the working of the business by application of PESTEL analysis, Porter 5 forces and the BCG Matrix. PESTEL Analysis POLITICAL Taxation policy High taxes levied on farmers in the bean producing countries, would consequently increase the rate at which Starbuck would buy the coffee beans and any such fluctuations in the taxation policy would certainly be passed on to the consumer, who now would have to purchase the end item at a higher price. International trade regulations and tariffs Trade issues would affect Starbucks directly when exporting and importing goods. When the government of the trading country imposes a tariff it would not only result in an efficiency loss for Starbucks but such large income transfers can also become inconsistent with equity. This extra charge would have to be borne by the consumers. Government stability A change in government policies has a direct impact on the taxation and legislation framework. Also the countries in political turmoil or civil war should be approached with great caution when considering new ventures. Employment law A reduction in licensing and permit costs in the bean producing countries would lower production costs for farmers. This saving would in turn be passed on to Starbucks when purchasing beans and finally to the consumers. ECONOMIC Interest rates High interest rates would mean putting off the investment and expansion plans of Starbucks, which would result in fewer earnings for the firm. Low interest rates should have the opposite effect. Economic Growth Consumer incomes would fall in periods of negative growth leaving less disposable income impacting the sales for Starbucks. Inflation rates Business costs will rise in times of inflation which would ultimately have to be borne by the consumer. Competitors pricing Competitive pricing from competitors would impact Starbucks pricing that would drive down the profit margin as they try to maintain their market share. Exchange rates If the currency value falls in a bean supplying country, Starbucks would get more for the same price, when importing the goods. This saving would be passed to the end consumer. SOCIAL Population demographics Identification of the target population at which Starbuck needs to aim their products is a significant factor in the business operations. The marketing campaign undertaken would focus accordingly. Coffee is more of a luxury product, so the people with the most amount of disposable income should be targeted. Working Population A large number of workers in big cities now go out for lunch and meals. Starbucks can cash this to their advantage and promote the shop as a place where people can meet and eat, boosting the sales. Location A good location which is easily accessible is vital to ensure that the customers visit the shop. TECHNOLOGICAL IT development Starbucks launched its first-generation e-commerce website in 1998. As a result, scalability and performance have improved, and the company now has the tools it needs to profile and target customers, analyse site data, and deliver new features to the market in the shortest time possible. New materials and processes Developments in the technology of coffee making machines and the computers that Starbucks use to run their cash registers will enable their staff to work more quickly and efficiently. This will result in customers being served quicker and create the potential to serve more customers in a day.. Rate of technological change The pace at which technology is advancing is astounding. Starbucks would need to invest heavily just to stand still in the ever expanding and developing market, and even more so to try to stay ahead of competitors. ENVIRONMENTAL Pollution problems Starbucks customers create a lot of waste by disposing off the cup and the contents incorrectly. The material for the cup should be carefully considered to make it as biologically degradable as possible. Planning permissions Planning permission may not be granted to Starbucks if the construction would harm the environment. The land may be protected. Work disposal There are strict laws in most countries pertaining to waste disposal and non-adherence to these could lead to Starbucks being sanctioned, which would affects them financially and also tarnish the reputation of the brand name. Environmental pressure groups Starbucks should be aware of the physical and influential power of groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Any violation of animal or environmental rights by a company is usually followed by a swift and attention-drawing protest from one of the groups. Brand image and customer bases are often irreconcilably tarnished due to the actions of these groups. LEGAL Trade and product restrictions Starbucks need to be aware of the trade laws in the countries where they have established businesses. They need to ensure they are not in violation of any such laws. Certain countries impose a tariff that has to be paid when goods are imported/exported so this must be taken into account as well. Employment laws Each country has different employment laws, like a limit on the number of hours an employee can work per week, varying levels of minimum wage etc. Starbucks should be aware of such factors when considering business expansion. Health and Safety regulations By not maintaining high standards they would be liable for damages if found in violation as it is a legal requirement for them to enable that their staff and customers are safe when they are in their stores. Land use Starbucks have to abide by the laws of the building authorities when constructing shops or altering purchased sites and if found in violation of land rules, it can be panalised by the local authorities. PORTER 5 FORCES ANALYSIS 1. COMPETITIVE RIVALRY Starbucks is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world. Major competitors include Costa coffee, Caffà © Nero, Seattles Best Coffee and secondary coffee providers such as McDonalds, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts. The competition is nowhere near to Starbucks volume of operations and sales. Consumption of coffee is not dependent on the price of the product but also on the differentiation between each product and several value adding variables such as the quality of customer services, brand, brand recognition and image of the company. Hence, Starbucks is not majorly sensitive to movements of other firms in this segment. 2. THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS Starbuck is the world leader in its industry and has controlled access to distribution channels. Starbucks have exhibited this control over distribution channels by setting guidelines for their suppliers to follow. Starbucks is also constantly innovating and showing strong product differentiation to hamper the possibility of new entrants. However, the entry barrier for the industry is relatively low and any big firm where capital is not a problem could be a potential entrant. Some of the more current and on-going threats of new entrants include fast food chains such as McDonalds, Burger King and Dunkin Donuts which can become a major problem in the near future. 3. BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS A big threat to Starbucks is the absence of switching costs in the speciality coffee industry, customers face no switching costs in switching from Starbucks to Costa Coffee or Caffà © Nero for a cup of coffee. Another threat to Starbucks is that their customers have the ability to brew their own coffee. Starbucks has tried to counter this threat by offering Preferred Office Coffee Providers as well as directions on how to make the perfect cup of Starbucks coffee at home, called the Four Fundamentals of Coffee. The perfect cup of Starbucks Coffee includes, of course, Starbucks ingredients! Also with new entrants and competitors such as McDonalds who claim to offer premium roast coffee of reasonable quality for lower price, it is clear that Starbucks customers have some bargaining power in the industry. 4. BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS Coffee is the worlds second largest traded commodity. South and Central America produce the majority of coffee traded in the world. Starbucks depends upon both outside brokers and direct contact with exporters for the supply of premium coffee beans. The quality of coffee beans sought by Starbucks is very high, proving to be a potential threat to the company. Only suppliers who can meet Starbucks coffee standards will be able to supply the giant company. The supplying industry only has few firms which can deliver the quality giving them considerable bargaining powers. However, Starbucks counters this due to its massive size and being the primary buyer and also because of the importance of Starbucks business to any individual supplier as it would account for a large percentage of the total suppliers sales, thus reducing the bargaining power of suppliers. THE THREAT OF SUBSTITUTION Substitute products are the products that can pose as a trade-off for the product being offered by a company. In the specialty coffee industry, substitute products can be soft drinks, tea, energy drinks, fruit juices and other caffeinated drinks. Here innovation would play a huge role. To counter this Starbucks have given their menus a complete revamp and have differentiated so many of their products which are now part of the main product line. The menu includes various teas, hot and cold coffee, baked goods and various confectionary items. The only true direct substitute for specialty coffee would be the basic coffee, which is of lower quality than specialty and as such does not present any threat. STARBUCKS FINANCIAL ANALYSIS This part of the report would highlight the financial position of Starbucks using the annual reports and comprehensive ratio analysis for the financial years 2008, 2009 and 2010 which are enclosed in the appendix. 2008 In fiscal 2008, Starbucks experienced declining store sales in its stores, primarily due to lower customer traffic. The weaker traffic was caused due to number of on-going factors in the global economy such as the higher costs of gas and food, rising levels of unemployment and personal debt along with reduced access to consumer credit. In fiscal year 2008, store sales declined a margin of 8%. Consolidated operating income was $503.9 million in fiscal 2008, and operating margin for the year was 4.9% compared with 11.2% in the prior year. Approximately 260 basis points of the decrease in operating margin was a result of restructuring charges, primarily related to the significant US store closures. EPS for fiscal 2008 was $0.43, compared to EPS of $0.87 per share earned in the prior year. Restructuring charges and costs associated with the execution of the transformation agenda impacted EPS by approximately $0.28 per share in fiscal 2008. 2009 Fiscal 2009 was a challenging year for Starbucks. The difficult economic environment had strained consumer discretionary spending in the US and internationally, which negatively impacted company revenues, store sales, operating income and operating margins. Starbucks responded by creating a business model that was less reliant on high revenue growth to drive profitability. The primary initiatives of the strategy included rationalizing the global company operated store portfolio and reducing the cost structure, while renewing the focus on service excellence. Starbucks closed down approximately 1000 stores. Initiatives targeting reductions in the cost structure in fiscal 2009 proceeded as planned, with full year costs of $580 million removed from the cost structure. The company maintained a solid financial foundation, with no short term debt outstanding at the end of fiscal 2009 and with cash and liquid investments totalling more than $650 million. The solid financial position and continued strong cash flow generation provided Starbucks with the financial flexibility to implement its restructuring efforts. 2010 In fiscal 2010, revenues increased to a record $10.7 billion. Operating income increased by $857 million from  ¬Ã‚ scal 2009 to $1.4 billion. The full-year operating margin of 13.3 % represented the highest full-year consolidated operating margin in Starbucks history. Fiscal 2010 ended with the highest full-year comparable store sales growth that Starbucks have seen in the recent past, while the earnings per share also grew more than double from  ¬Ã‚ scal 2009. BENCHMARKING WITH COSTA COFFEE AND CAFFÉ NERO Starbucks is a US chain whereas both Costa Coffee and Caffà © Nero were established in the UK. Costa Coffee was setup in London in 1971 by Bruno and Sergio Costa and acquired by Whitbread PLC in 1995. Caffà © Nero was established by Gerry Ford in 1997 in the UK. The comparison would be carried out using the financial information of the three firms which is available in the appendix. The comparison would majorly be based on the UK market. There are 1,175 Costa Coffee shops in Britain as compared to 731 of Starbucks and 440 of Caffà © Nero. A comprehensive business analysis of Starbucks has already been supplied in the above report; this part would focus on the business analysis of Caffà © Nero and Costa Coffee individually followed by a coherent conclusion of the findings. Costa Coffee According to the financial data available operating profit grew by 59.5% to  £36.2 million; 312 net new stores were acquired or opened and like for like sales increased by 5.5. Costa operates in 25 countries and is now the number two international coffee shop operator with 1,600 stores: 1,069in the UK; and 531 overseas. Sales performance improved strongly across the year, confirming the brands resilience, even in a recessionary environment. Caffà © Nero The groups 60% equity is held by the Ford family, the rest 30% by a private equity firm Paladin and 10% with the management. Caffà ¨ Nero has recently completed a successful  £140m refinancing in a bid to fund the businesss future growth ambitions. The business, which has 500 outlets in the UK and internationally and has registered 54 consecutive quarters of positive like-for-like growth, is forecast to generate  £31m in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the 12 months to May 2011. Revenue for the same period is forecast to reach  £171m, an increase of 11% on the previous year. The new financial structure would provide the Group with a financial platform to support its growth ambitions and expansion plans both in the UK and internationally. Nero has a lot of ups including strong brand positioning, intensive marketing campaigns and a clear differentiation point. However, there are some weaknesses, one of them being lack of experience in going international, thus some problems could arise while penetrating foreign markets. Though both the companies Costa and Nero are well established in the UK market, Starbucks is the industry leader in the world and is a major competition to them in the UK. Financial turnover of the Starbucks Group is so massive that it provides them with all the capital requirements to innovate and differentiate their product from the 2 competitors; it already has established a sizeable market share in the UK, but still needs to take over Costa Coffee which it should be able to do in the near future, looking at the financial figures provided and the international global strategy adopted by the group which seems very promising. ISSUES FACING STARBUCKS The major challenge that Starbucks is dealing with is the current financial crisis in the world economy forcing them to call closures of many stores around the world. Another challenge that Starbucks is dealing with is competitors. There are numerous coffee shops all over the world and being able to stand out to generate customers is important. Their main competitors are Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and Nestle in the US and brands like Costa Coffee and Caffà ¨ Nero in the UK, the two major markets for Starbucks. It is important that for Starbucks to know their competitors and what they are currently doing. Also Starbuck coffees are priced higher than other market competitors because of Starbucks only purchasing the highest quality coffee beans for their product, thus increasing the price of the drink. As Starbucks have many competitors, this can be a potential advantage to for such competitors. Also Starbucks inadequate marketing strategy on advertising is a hindrance in the business growth opportunities. They prefer to build the brand by promoting the drinks cup-by-cup with customers. The advertisement ends until they drink the coffee, reducing the chances to attract valuable customers. Starbucks also does not emphasize on distributing their products to supermarket because of being concerned with the quality of the coffee; if the coffees were packaged into plastic bags. Also the rigorous expansion strategy followed by Starbucks can take a toll on the firms brand image. As corporations grow there can be a tendency to focus too heavily on increasing output and locations, and less focus on quality and brand image. Starbucks needs to stay with its values and ideals that have made it successful. Also Starbucks policy of not franchising can be a cause of concern for the firm. Advantages of Starbucks franchising would be to open hundreds of new stores with less risk to the company, and make profits in doing so. In addition Starbucks would have less research and development costs because the franchisee would have greater knowledge of the local market in terms of demographics, psychographics, geographic, and local/state/country regulations. RECCOMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION Starbucks has to effectively pursue a Focus-Based Strategy in conjunction with differentiation and cost leadership based strategy. Being a lower cost store will increase the difference between Starbucks and provide it with a competitive edge. At present, Starbucks competitors are attempting to specialize in the coffee business, therefore Starbucks must pursue focus strategy to increase its strength. Starbucks must reduce their product price by producing a new product of coffee using cheaper beans or can come out with special discounts and promotions to reduce cost, thus increasing sales enabling Starbucks to enter new low cost markets and increase profitability. Also needs to focus on building alliances in new markets/countries to reduce management focus and benefit from the local and experience curves. Should focus on advertising the brand through internet services for users to access, do road shows, hand out brochures etc. so that consumers become more aware of the brands strong international presence and brand name. Market penetration and market development will help increase the sales. Access unexplored distribution channels like making available packaged Starbucks coffee for consumers by displaying it nationwide in various convenience and shopping stores and not only Starbucks stores. Starbucks must adopt twin policies of Product Development and Product-Market Diversification to counter the stiff competition in international markets. It is important to understand this in the product development phase as they would need to focus solely on making their existing products better. The company can demonstrate product and market diversification through research and development coupled with creativity and innovation. Product differentiation has proven an excellent defence against threats such as bargaining power of buyers. Developing new products will offset such potential risks. A strategy should be formulated to tackle the competition by entering into agreements, long-term contracts, with the food service companies that they are competing against. This way their coffee would be sold at these outlets and they would gain access to new markets and increase sales while decreasing competition. Starbucks should continue to be a first mover into markets with new products and ideas. Being a first mover of new products into new international markets will be an excellent way for Starbucks to build customer loyalty and uphold its image as an innovative company. Starbucks should continue to locate their operations in high traffic areas, high visibility areas. The company should continue to take excellent care in picking locations. It is extremely important that Starbucks international stores reflect uniqueness in their location and layout. Having locations in a variety of locations will ensure large market exposure.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Educational Theory of Teaching Writing Essay -- English Writing Teache
When I first encountered Paulo Freire’s work, I was struck with the hypocrisy of my own teaching. I had deluded myself into thinking, to a certain extent, that I was creating a democratic and equal space that was free from the influence of. It was a stark reminder last year when I encountered Richard Shaull’s introduction to Peter Freire’s The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. He writes, â€Å"There is no such things as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the ‘practice of freedom,’ the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world†(Freire 16). Then, over the summer, as I delved into Lisa Delpit and Sonia Nieto’s work, I came face to face with the socio-econom ic reality of our education system, and how in some ways, I was not nearly as enlightened as I thought myself to be. According to Delpit, â€Å"Many liberal educators hold that the primary goal for education is for children to become autonomous, to develop fully who they are in the classroom setting without having arbitrary, outside standards forced upon them. This is a very reasonable goal for people whose children are already participants in the culture of power and who have already internalized its codes†(Delpit 28). I think that I fall into the category that Delpit discusses here. So many of my original assumptions about what I attempt to do in the classroom have been blown out of the proverbial water, and I am left with the question of what exactly am I doing in the classroom? I am specifically concerne... ... way in which I view grading my students’ essays. Despite the fact that I have found no clarity, perhaps it is the fact that I am still grappling with these issues, facing them on a daily level that keeps me an actively engaged teacher in the realm of teaching writing. Works Cited hooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. New York, NY: Routledge, 1994. Delpit, Lisa. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. The New Press, 1995. Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum Press, 1970. Bartholomae, David. â€Å"Writing with Teachers: A Conversation with Peter Elbow.†Cross-Talk in CompTheory. National Council of Teachers of English, 1997. Elbow, Peter. â€Å"Being a Writer vs. Being and Academic: A Conflict in Goals.†Cross-Talk In CompTheory. National Council of Teachers of English, 1997. Educational Theory of Teaching Writing Essay -- English Writing Teache When I first encountered Paulo Freire’s work, I was struck with the hypocrisy of my own teaching. I had deluded myself into thinking, to a certain extent, that I was creating a democratic and equal space that was free from the influence of. It was a stark reminder last year when I encountered Richard Shaull’s introduction to Peter Freire’s The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. He writes, â€Å"There is no such things as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the ‘practice of freedom,’ the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world†(Freire 16). Then, over the summer, as I delved into Lisa Delpit and Sonia Nieto’s work, I came face to face with the socio-econom ic reality of our education system, and how in some ways, I was not nearly as enlightened as I thought myself to be. According to Delpit, â€Å"Many liberal educators hold that the primary goal for education is for children to become autonomous, to develop fully who they are in the classroom setting without having arbitrary, outside standards forced upon them. This is a very reasonable goal for people whose children are already participants in the culture of power and who have already internalized its codes†(Delpit 28). I think that I fall into the category that Delpit discusses here. So many of my original assumptions about what I attempt to do in the classroom have been blown out of the proverbial water, and I am left with the question of what exactly am I doing in the classroom? I am specifically concerne... ... way in which I view grading my students’ essays. Despite the fact that I have found no clarity, perhaps it is the fact that I am still grappling with these issues, facing them on a daily level that keeps me an actively engaged teacher in the realm of teaching writing. Works Cited hooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. New York, NY: Routledge, 1994. Delpit, Lisa. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. The New Press, 1995. Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum Press, 1970. Bartholomae, David. â€Å"Writing with Teachers: A Conversation with Peter Elbow.†Cross-Talk in CompTheory. National Council of Teachers of English, 1997. Elbow, Peter. â€Å"Being a Writer vs. Being and Academic: A Conflict in Goals.†Cross-Talk In CompTheory. National Council of Teachers of English, 1997.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Balanced Literacy vs Whole Language Approach to Teaching Reading Essay
Whole language is considered a "top down" approach where the reader constructs a personal meaning for a text based on using their prior knowledge to interpret the meaning of what they are reading. Teachers are expected to provide a literacy rich environment for their students and to combine speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Whole language teachers emphasize the meaning of texts over the sounds of letters, and phonics instruction becomes just one component of the whole language classroom. Problems associated with whole language include a lack of structure that has been traditionally supplied by the scope and sequence, lessons and activities, and extensive graded literature found in basal readers. Whole language puts a heavy burden on teachers to develop their own curriculum. Balanced Literacy is an approach for teaching literacy that is widely used in classrooms across the country. It involves several methods of teaching and learning reading and writing, whole class instruction directed by the teacher with independent work in reading, writing, and oral language. By integrating a variety of approaches, a balance is achieved in which students learning to understand text (from a whole language approach) as well as how to read text (from a phonics approach). Effective phonics instruction focuses children's attention on noticing the letter/sound patterns in initial consonants and consonant clusters and in rimes. BALANCED LITERACY provides and cultivates the skills o...
Thursday, July 18, 2019
German-American relations after the last Gulf War 2003 :: essays research papers
German-American relations after the last Gulf War 2003 There is hope for a future rapprochement between Germany and the USA. The relationships to the USA, since 1949 a leading part of the German foreign politics, deteriorated enormously and in March/April 2003 they hit an all-time low since the end of the Second World War. The administration of George W. Bush considered a military attack on the regime of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as an important component for the struggle against the terrorism. The German Federal Government considered the war as an unjustified diversion of the conflict with the terror organization Al-Qaida. The intensity and duration of the German-American annoyance in the course of the conflict in Iraq was surprising against the background of a close political cooperation between the two nations over 40 years. Germany made good experiences with the transatlantic relationship in the past. We share the same basic values and we have a similar understanding of representative democracy, human rights, constitutional state and market economy. In the time of the Cold War from 1949-1989 West Germany and the USA could be regarded as ideal cooperation partners because they followed the same aims with complementary capabilities. The interests of Bonn and Washington were the military protection of Western Europe against soviet attacks as well as the encouragement of democracy and market economy in Europe. The USA played a very important role for the German unification in 1989. The process of unification was not only a result of American support but encouraged the German-American relationship. However, with the end of the Cold War, Germany lost its important role it played for the US-foreign policies. In the 90Â ´s during the Balkan wars the power of the USA and the powerlessness of Europe became clearly expressed. All attempts of the European states to form a united policy on their own continent failed. They could not define a united policy. The USA were frustrated because they did not see in Europe a reliable partner for a security policy. The transatlantic annoyance over the war in Iraq was more than a difference of opinion over the best strategy in the struggle against international terrorism. The USA, a country with global security interests, view the thread of international acting terrorism organizations, which might possess weapons of wholesale destruction, with greater concern than European governments, including Germany. Instead of using military means, which they possess only in a limited way, the European governments strive for a legal attempt at conciliation by means of international organizations like the ONU and the international Criminal Court, ICC.
50’s Pop Culture Essay
Pop market-gardening is m bingleymaking(prenominal) close based on ballparkplace taste. Todays come forward culture consists of rap/ hip hop harmony, cernuous jeans, high-top shoes, and 3D movies. In the 1950s fashion, music, and technology was worlds apart from how it is today. Rock & schedule, vitriolic Rods, black leather jackets and renegadelious teens atomic number 18 iconic images often imagined when mentioning the 1950s in the US. History repeats itself. This fat is perhaps the most(prenominal) obvious when it comes to fashion. Fashion today is heavily influenced by the fashion during the 1950s.Girls wearing fresh colors, flow dresses, tight blouses, and high-waist shorts ar common now, and were during the 50s. Guys wearing partisanship suits/ dress shirts, with khakis are undoubtedly approaching back into style especially among hipsters. The rebel style of the 50s with meritless jeans (which e genuinelyone wears today, scarcely were unacceptable for young women to wear) T-shirts beneath leather or jean jackets, with boots and consid geological erable hair is becoming quite common for the youth today. euphony has played a huge role in American society for over a degree centigrade years. In the 1950s the fastest development genre was Rock & Roll. Largely because of teens, and theyre need to express themselves and be noticed. Music in the 50s was one of the only things in this time embraced it fully. democracy singers comparable Johnny Cash stayed above water because of their ingenuity, competency to adapt, and pure talent. megrims and soul artist like pack Brown and Ray Charles are icons for their ability to touch people through music on a personal level.No essay most American 50s pop culture would be complete without mentioning The King of Rock & Roll Elvis Presley. Almost every tantrum of pop culture in the 50s was heavily influenced by the era of Rock & Roll. Cars were no exception. Hot rods were very popular among the yo uth, but seen as wipeout traps by braggart(a)s. In reality adult simple machines like the Lincoln Continental were removed more dangerous. Car advancements were huge during this time, like the growth of automatic transitions.Cars were simple to graze on making it a pursuance for many young adults. Racing and car shows became common. Learning about pop cultures from varied is not only interesting but important too. It helps you understand how todays pop culture became the way it is. People that ask questions about why fashion is the way it is, or how music became how it is, can study medieval pop cultures for answers. 50s pop culture changed music, fashion and technology forever
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